


Losing The Plot

by ClaraRabit, Mickyl



Series: Losing An Illusion [2]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-14 03:41:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9158545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClaraRabit/pseuds/ClaraRabit, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mickyl/pseuds/Mickyl
Summary: A series of spinoff drabbles for "Losing An Illusion", because my proofreader and I spend more time talking about stuff that isn't going in the main story than the actual story. Like the fact that all of the minor characters have names from The Walking Dead. It's preferable that you read the original story first, for context reasons.





	1. Reactions

[Written by my lovely proofreader friend, Mikaela. Who does not have an AO3, which is why she agreed to have me post this. This idea was spawned when I named the couple in the first chapter-and-a-half of the main story Rick and Carol. It started with "You totally named them that because we're watching The Walking Dead" and spiraled into a weird au crossover. Blame Mikaela. It's her fault.]

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rick awoke to the sound his husband falling out of bed and slamming himself into the wall, legs pulled up to his chest as his arms desperately tried to hide him. It was Michonne's night to lay in the middle, which meant he had to roll over. Turning on the table light, he noticed that his alarm clock read 3:04  
A.M. as he quickly sprinted around the bed to a panicked Daryl.  
"I didn't do nothin'." Daryl repeatedly muttered, as he flinched away from Rick's gentle touch. Rick started to softly coo, noticing as it started to calm him, he became more focused and attentive. This was the first panic attack in three months, a new record.  
"I know, I know. You didn't do anything wrong. Daryl? Daryl, I need you to talk to me. What happened?" Rick gently asked as he heard Michonne get out of bed, and quickly walk over.  
"You know he won't answer you. Get out of his line of sight, keep cooing, and let me try." Michonne said as she placed a hand on Rick's shoulder. He carefully backed up and sat on the bed, continuing to coo. His wife gently snapped her fingers in front of Daryl's face, focusing his attention on her.  
"Hey, you're good. You're okay. Want to talk about it?" She softly asked as he calmed, his panicked pants slowing.  
"Rick... Rick said they found her up north in the woods? We... We lived up north. After mom... There were so many women. She had the look. Merle and me... We were bad. But, she didn't look bad. What reason could he have for hurting her? Did... Did she say a name? Will? He... We just left..." Daryl quickly said, as he started to slowly uncurl himself, he carefully leaned forward and placed his head against Michonne's shoulder. She gingerly wrapped her arms around him as Rick spoke up.  
"I didn't hear her say anything, but as soon I get in tomorrow I'll ask Stacey, and run Wills name. I promise." Rick said as he got down on the floor with his partners. Eventually Daryl got up and went downstairs as Rick and Michonne talked.  
"I've never seen it happen this bad. Think he needs professional help?" Michonne asked as they heard Daryl rummage through the kitchen. He was most likely making an odd  
conglomeration of pigs feet and jelly on bread.  
"He's fine. Carol and I found a girl on the side of the road yesterday, dropped her off at the station. Daryl went to pick Merle up from the drunk tank, guess he saw her, saw the look of someone who's been hurt. It makes him protective, makes him remember what he's trying to move on from. This has happened once before. Since then I've run Will Dixon's name every morning. I think I'm gonna go steal a sip of his moonshine and coke." Rick replied as he went to leave the room.

Rick went downstairs to find Daryl sitting on the couch, gingham covered legs crossed at the ankle. He was watching late night infomercials with his white trash sandwich in his hand. Daryl looked up at him as he came down and held out his drink to him.  
"I'm fine. Promise." Daryl said as took another bite of his food.  
"I know you are. Just wanted to steal your booze." Rick jokingly stated as he brought the alcohol up to his lips. He quickly drank, lightly rubbed Daryl's t-shirt covered shoulder, and headed upstairs. He grabbed the large fluffy white blanket from the hallway storage and laid it out on the floor for the redneck before returning to bed.  
He laid on his stomach, left arm hanging off the bed, he eventually felt Daryl's soft hair brush against his hand as he got comfortable on the floor. He felt Daryl relax into a peaceful slumber as he played with his chocolate brown locks. Rick himself drifted off to the sound of both of his partner's breathing peacefully.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	2. Everything's Alright

 

   It was a quiet night. Michonne and Rick had to stay late at work, leaving Daryl to keep an eye on Victoria while she was visiting for the weekend. The rain outside and the background noise of the television were good atmosphere for a night mostly spent lazing around on the couch while the kid read a book in the kitchen.

    The redneck sat on the couch in one of Rick’s t-shirts and the flannel pajama pants Maggie had bought him a few years ago, eating jelly out of the jar while generally spacing out. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and some yelling from the speakers and the TV drama that was playing snapped into focus.

   The scene was from a little kids eyes, looking through a shuttered closet door at the shadows cast on a wall by a struggle. Daryl could already feel himself hyperventilating before the shadows disappeared, and he jumped back when the closet door on the screen was yanked open. The click of the TV being shut off didn't register to him, and the scene turned into a memory in his eyes, like watching a recording of his childhood being played back to him.

   He shut his eyes tightly against his stinging tears, feeling like he was suffocating. Everything seemed too loud and fast and bright, until he heard something overlapped by the white noise. It was quiet and garbled at first, but became clearer the more he focused on it, and he vaguely recognized the words to the quiet song but couldn't place them. The knowledge of where he'd heard it struck him as his breathing slowed down and he registered the weight of arms much smaller than his own around him.

 

  _“Short steps,_

_Deep breath,_

_Everything is alright._

_Chin up,_

_I can't_

_Step into the spotlight._

_She said_

_‘I'm sad’_

_Somehow without any words._

_I just,_

_Stood there,_

_Searching for an answer.”_

  

   He followed along with shaking breaths and a trembling voice, remembering the chorus to the song they always sang to Victoria when she got spooked.

   

    _“When this world is no more,_

_The moon is all we'll see._

_I'll ask you_

_To fly away with me._

_And when the stars all fall down,_

_They empty from the sky,_

_But I don't mind._

_If you're with me,_

_Then everything's alright.”_

 

He was more relaxed now, holding onto the girl's sleeves and leaning his head on her shoulder as they finished the song. They sat there in comfortable silence for a while until Daryl wiped his face and let out a huff.

   “You good?” She asked, patting him on the back.

   Pulling back, but not enough to be completely out of reach, he replied. “Yeah, I'm good.”

   

   When Michonne got home a few hours later, she managed to snap the pictures that she showed Rick while somehow managing to keep her phone away from a small cat-girl and an angry redneck. Rick, of course, wasn't as good at dodging and let them have the phone. But not before he sent the photos to himself.

   It wasn't every day that your wife caught your husband and adoptive daughter sleeping peacefully on the couch and lived to show you the evidence, after all.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[The song Victoria sings is a popular fanmade vocal version of "Everything's Alright" from the game To The Moon.

I'm not creative enough to come up with stuff like that, so go check out both To The Moon and one of the many covers of the song on YouTube! They're really good!]


End file.
